The Last Hamasaki
by Hamasaki-Kaito
Summary: Kaito Hamasaki escapes the destruction of Uzushio and his survival will have far reaching consequences.
1. Uzushio Forever

Chapter One

_Uzushio. It was quite the wonder to behold. The swirling whirlpools that surrounded the Island, churning the sapphire water of the ocean white. Citizens often said they were the flowers of the ocean. It wasn't a sprawling village, its limited room for expansion ensuring that, but those brilliant Uzumaki's were crazy enough to build up instead and had the sealwork to make it a viable option. Shinobi of Uzushiogakure always joking complained about returning from missions and having to climb Mt. Uzu. The city was layered and separated into rings. From the outside in, there were five rings that increased in elevation as you went deeper into the heart of the city. _

_It was a beautiful place and it's people were rightfully proud of their village - none more than the shinobi clans. Most people think of the Uzumaki's when they remember Uzushio, and are right to do so as they were the ones that founded the village, but there were other clans - families that were long time allies and other clans that had wanted to be apart of what the Uzumaki had been building. _

_It was one of these clans that I was born into. _

_The Hamasaki clan. Comprised of powerful ninjutsu specialists with an affinity for Suiton techniques in particular - I remember other Uzu-nin jesting that the Hamasaki were descended from some sort of water spirit. All nonsense, of course, but just another part of being in Uzushio. It was a friendly place and a different time. I can only hope the future contains space for more places such as Uzushio. _

_Excerpt from The Last Hamasaki Written by Hamasaki Kaito_

"Hamasaki-kun?" The voice calling his clan name had Kaito looking up from the armrests of the office chair he was sitting on. She stepped fully into the room with the inherent grace that came from shinobi training.

"Uzumaki-sama, sorry." Kaito greeted lowly as he used his sleeve to wipe off any traces of his tears.

"Do not be sorry, sweet boy." Mito Uzumaki said softly as she crouched down in front of him, silent tears trickling down in tiny rivulets until they dripped off her wrinkled skin. "We all weep for Uzushio and the loss of her people. There is no shame in our tears."

"They're all gone, Uzumaki-sama, they killed them all. Why-?" Kaito let out the sob he had been holding inside, his chest heaving as he broke down, and Mito brought him into a tight embrace.

"Sh, sh, there now. You're safe in Konoha." Mito rubbed soothing circles on Kaito's back until the worst of his tears passed. "People were afraid and do evil acts when they lash out because of their fear."

"Uzumaki-"

"None of that Uzumaki-sama stuff anymore." Mito interrupted, pulling back from the embrace to put her hands on his shoulders and look at his face. "You'll call me Mito-obasan. We'll be living together, after all."

"Living together?" Kaito echoed in a tone full of bemusement.

"Of course. It will be you, myself, and my grand-niece Uzumaki Kushina." Mito said, giving him a warm smile as she stood up and held out one of her hands. "Those of us from Uzu have to stick together, don't we?"

Kaito nodded quietly, taking her hand and standing up from the chair. Kaito felt like he had been cold and his heart ripped into pieces but his arm felt warmer in Mito's hand. He wasn't alone.

\- Line Break -

"Miko-chan, meet my cousin Hamasaki Kaito, dattebane." Kushina said in an overly formal tone, gesturing grandly toward him and then doing the same at Mikoto."Dearest cousin. meet my best friend in the world Uchiha Mikoto."

"Please take care of me." Kaito bowed with a somewhat forced smile, his stomach flipping around from nerves.

"He seems too polite to be related to you." Mikoto said teasingly to rile up Kushina before bowing back to Kaito. "I'm glad to meet you, Kaito-chan."

Kaito tilted his head, his face twisted by confusion at the suffix Mikoto had used. Kushina obviously caught it as well, having burst into laughter that shook her whole body. "She- She- thinks you're a girl, dattebane!"

Mikoto's pale face flooded with a red blush as proof of her embarrassment. "I'm sorry, it's just- I mean-"

"It's fine, Mikoto-chan." Kaito reassured her, glaring at the still guffawing Kushina.

"You look as girly as this boy, Namikaze, in our class." Kushina elbowed Kaito none too gently, getting a sharp elbow back in response.

"You're blocking the hall, Tomato."

Kushina stopped laughing instantly and her hands clenched into fists at the same time as she grit her teeth. Kaito waited for his rambunctious new friend to defend herself but watched in confusion as she stepped to the side of the hall to let the rude student through. Kaito watched Kushina glare at the floor as the boy smirked and started to walk past, pulling up short when Kaito stepped in front of him without a word.

"Get out of the way." The boy said, his eyes narrowed into a pathetic excuse for a glare.

"I will be happy to - as soon as you apologize to my friend." Kaito crossed his arms, watching the boy laugh disbelievingly.

"Oooh, Tomato got a bodyguard." He said to his friends, puffing up as they chuckled and bolstered his confidence. "Get out of the way before you get hurt, little girl."

"I did give you a chance." Kaito said before he pulled back a fist and punched the boy in his nose, the soft cartilage crunching from the hit and instantly beginning to leak blood as the boy howled in pain.

\- Line Break -

"Detention?" Mito's voice was flat and matched the clearly unimpressed expression on her face perfectly.

"Yes, Mito-obasan." Kaito didn't bother trying to look remorseful about it. That would probably just make her more angry because she _would_ realize he was faking it. "For a week."

"And for what reasons were you given Detention, Kaito-kun?"

"For breaking someone's nose." Kaito said, trying not to shuffle around. He just had to stay very still and maybe she'd get bored and go away.

"And why did you break someone's nose, Kaito-kun?" Mito's face might as well be carved out of stone for all it changed since they started the conversation.

"Because he deserved it." Kaito answered honestly but wincing when he saw Mito's lips thin ever so slightly. He could feel his forehead beginning to sweat. "He called Kushina tomato and she wasn't doing anything!"

"Kushina is more cunning than either of those boys." Mito said sternly. "She would have gotten them with a prank twice as bad as Tomato. And she wouldn't have gotten caught."

"Do I have to apologize? Because I wouldn't mean it." Kaito slumped, resigned to accept whatever punishment from her.

"I never said the jumped up brat didn't have it coming." Mito said, waving a hand dismissively and ignoring Kaito's sputtering. "But don't get caught. I need you to be here during that time to train."

"I won't get caught again Mito-obasan." Kaito vowed with a smirk.

"You better because I won't bail you out of trouble next time." Mito said, patting his hand firmly with a smirk of her own. "And be a dear, will you, and make sure you rub your wrists like they hurt for the next week in front of your sensei - he thinks you'll be doing lines after school with me."

"You're _so cool_, Mito-obasan!" Kaito said in awe, stars practically shining in his eyes.

"I know, Kaito-kun." Mito said as she picked up her cup of tea and took a small sip. "I told you, we Uzu-nin have to look out for each other."

"I remember." Kaito said quietly, pouring a cup of tea, not managing to hide the smile on his face."

\- Line break -

"Saito-sensei still hasn't brought it up?" Mikoto-chan asked, shaking her head with a soft laugh.

"Not yet. I checked the handbook though - boys are allowed in the class if they want." Kaito shrugged, cutting the stem of a deep blue flower to add to his arrangement. "You believe it's not even actually called Kunoichi lessons? It's official name is Life and Infiltration Skills."

"Sounds sexist." Mikoto's voice soured and her next flower was clipped a little violently than normal.

"Probably."

"Hey!" Kushina came running up to them both, sliding to a stop a few feet away and holding out a haphazardly put together, not to mention vibrant, arrangement of flowers. . "Check it out!"

"What an… eclectic arrangement, Kushina-chan." Mikoto said, raising a hand to her mouth to muffle a quiet giggle.

"What's your theme? Mine is Poisonous Beauty." Kaito said, lifting up his arrangement of Oleander, Foxglove, and Lily of the Valley.

"Bright Distraction, dattebane!"

"Very fitting, cousin." Kaito laughed fondly, glancing at Mikoto's arrangement. "I think I like yours best, Mikoto-chan."

Mikoto's spelled an actual message - it meant womanly strength independence without submission. A nice middle finger to the patriarchal attitude still prevalent in a lot of the more traditional families.

"Thank you, Kaito-kun." Mikoto said in a demure tone of voice that conflicted with the self-satisfied smirk on her face.

A/N:

I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.

I due claim ownership of my OC, Kaito Hamasaki, as well as his entire clan. I also own this story and give no one permission to post it anywhere else or to write inside my 'Kaito-verse' without asking and receiving explicit consent to do just that.

Serious stuff aside, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of _The Last Hamasaki_ and continue to enjoy it as the story progresses. I'd love to hear any feedback you're willing to provide and can promise I will get no small amount of happiness from every person that decides to follow and/or favourite my story.

Thank you!


	2. The Worthy Heroes

Chapter Two: The Worthy Hero's

_I remember the first time that he caught my attention. I had been in Konoha for a little over a year and Kushina, Mikoto, and I were all in one of the Year Three Academy classes - my first year and a half of schooling having been in Uzushio. It was the first time I'd been paired with him to spar and I had no idea when I stepped in the sparring circle, ready to burst with righteous anger, that he would become one of the closest friends I have ever had in my life. I wouldn't have been able to fathom the impact he would have on my life back then, I don't think. _

_\- Excerpt from The Last Hamasaki,_

_Written by Hamasaki Kaito. _

"Can I just forfeit, Saito-sensei?" drawled Nara Shikaku, looking at their Academy Instructor through half-lidded eyes. "Beating a girl would be too troublesome."

"What an ass." Mikoto muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Yeah." Kaito agreed, his fists clenching. He could care less that people thought he was too pretty to be a boy and mistook him for a girl. Insulting his two best friends and Mito-obasan, however indirectly, by insulting all kunoichi - that pissed him off.

Kaito stepped into the sparring circle, outwardly calm but seething internally as he tried to recall any of the Nara's matches he had seen. Weak in taijutsu, favored using the Nara clan techniques, and usually fought as efficiently as possible. They were allowed to use ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu - the spar would end when one person forfeits, is knocked out, or Saito-sensei calls an end to the match.

Saito-sensei finally convinced the deceptively lackadaisical Nara to enter the ring and spar against Kaito, however begrudgingly. They faced each other before forming the seal of confrontation, which indicates the beginning of the match.

"Suiton: Water Bullets." Kaito spit five globules of water at the Nara, slightly underpowered to the point that, with their velocity, they would leave large bruises instead of punching holes through his opponent. The Nara dodged each one, letting them hit the ground slightly behind him, and responded by throwing a barrage of kunai that forced Kaito to throw himself to the left and into a roll to avoid being hit.

Kaito sprinted forward in an attempt to engage the Nara in a Taijutsu battle but the clan heir leaped backward at the same time as he threw more kunai. Shikaku landed with his hands forming the rat hand seal, a smirk in his voice as he announced. "Shadow possession-"

Kaito glared at the Nara defiantly, who was cut off as a thin rope of water wrapped around his throat and began tightening its grip in the same moment that Kaito lost control of his body.

"Release your techniques, the match is a draw." Saito-sensei ordered, watching as a thin shadow that had been hidden in the shadow of a line of ninja wire attached to a kunai embedded in the ground receded back toward the Nara. At the same time, the rope of water encircling Shikaku's neck lost all its rigidity and drenched a disgruntled Shikaku's upper torso.

Both students formed the seal of reconciliation and gave stiff bows before exiting the sparring circle. Kaito watched the other matches distractedly, mentally reviewing the match in an attempt to figure out how he could have made it an outright win instead of a draw. By the time the sparring came to an end, Kaito settled on needing to increase the speed of his hand seals and needing to aim for areas that would disable his opponents ability to use jutsu - maybe by restraining their hands.

"Hey. Hamasaki."

"Go ahead, I'll catch up." Kaito waved his hand dismissively at Mikoto and Kushina, briefly flashing the two a reassuring smile. They hesitated for a moment but eventually turned back around to head back to their classroom.

"You've never used a lot of Ninjutsu before." Shikaku said with his shoulders slouched. "I thought you were taijutsu focused."

"Your mistake then." Kaito folded his arms across his chest, watching the Nara sigh.

"Ninjutsu is what you're best at but you use taijutsu in spars so you can get better in a safe environment against opponents using a myriad of different styles." Shikaku deduced, his dark eyes gleaming intelligently as he seemed to re-evaluate Kaito. "Troublesome."

"You're very observant, Nara-san, and you're right about most of what you've said about me today." Kaito acknowledged with a nod before turning to make his way back to class, tossing one last statement over his shoulder. "You're still as oblivious as everyone else in our class when it comes to one thing though."

"What's that?"

"You'll figure it out."

Shikaku muttered to himself about troublesome Kunoichi as he lazily followed behind Kaito, who shook his head in bemusement.

\- Line Break -

"You have the strongest water affinity I've seen in many years, Kaito-kun." Mito said proudly as she watched the wall of water collapse, droplets sprinkling across the luscious grass of the gardens inside the Senju compound.

"I can hold it longer." Kaito said with a determined look at the large pond he was practicing next to, his hands already moving through the seals for the water wall jutsu.

"That's enough for today." Mito said firmly, cupping his smaller hands gently inside her own to stop him. "You need to rest. It's not good to strain your still developing chakra coils so much. Besides, you need to practice your calligraphy with Kushina-chan."

"I'm awful at calligraphy." Kaito said with a frown, straightening up and following Mito as she led them across the gardens and into her study, where Kushina was fervently inking seals onto what used to be a blank scroll of parchment.

"Be that as it may, you must still practice diligently until you improve." Mito said in a tone that clearly implied Kaito shouldn't bother arguing. "You may never achieve a mastery of seals like Kushina might one day but you should still know the basics. Fuinjutsu is the most deadly and versatile out of all of the shinobi arts."

"Besides, you can't go around using store bought storage scrolls or explosive tags, -ttebane!" Kushina exclaimed, looking up from her seals with bright eyes and flecks of ink splattered on one pale cheek. "Not when you lived with two Uzumaki's, right Mito-obasan?"

"That's right, Kushina-chan." Mito said, fondly ruffling her long red hair and ignoring the young kunoichi's vehement protests. "No one can excel at every aspect of being a shinobi, Kaito-kun. It is just as important to work on the aspects you are not naturally inclined toward as it is those you are. This will make you a more rounded shinobi and it will keep your enemies guessing at what you might do next during battle."

"You mean like how the Senju are known as the clan with a thousand skills?" Kaito asked as he sat in seiza next to Kushina and picked up his practically unused brush.

"Yes, exactly." Mito said with a nod, the two paper seals that hang from each of her buns swaying with the motion. "The Senju encouraged diversity in their clan. If one member could not do something, it was a safe bet there was another that could."

"I want to be as strong as Tsunade-hime one day, -ttebane!" Kushina declared with a starry eyed look on her face.

"Tsunade-chan is a credit to her clan and is an exemplary Kunoichi." Mito said with a smile. "There are worse people for you to emulate, although I don't think you will ever reach her level of chakra control."

"I'd never be able to be a medic-nin like her." Kushina's shoulders slumped defeatedly at the reminder of her terrible control over her large reserves of chakra.

"Mito-obasan is just as terrifying as Tsunade-hime and she doesn't have amazing chakra control either." Kaito reminded her, bumping his shoulder against Kushina's.

"You're right, -ttebane! I'll be just as awesome as you one day, Mito-obasan! I'll be a seal master and one day I'll be the first kunoichi to become Hokage, -ttebane!"

"An admirable goal to have, Kushina-chan." Mito smiled gently, her eyes looking distant for a moment like she was lost in a memory before refocusing on Kaito. "And what about you, Kaito-kun?"

"Well, Hashirama-sama needed Tobirama-sama to watch his back for him, right?" Kaito asked with his head tilted up at Mito.

"Tobirama-kun did save Hashirama a number of times and without his help, Hashirama may not have realized his dream to form Konoha." Mito agreed

"Then I want to be like Tobirama-sama! I'll be even better than he was with Suiton jutsu and I'll be there to watch Kushina-chan's back!" Kaito decided with a resolute nod, shifting in discomfort at the shiny eyed look Kushina aimed at him.

"I'll protect you just as much, -ttebane!"

"I'm so glad to hear that you two will look out for each other." Mito said, grasping a hand with a surprisingly amount of strength for her age. "It eases my heart knowing that you will both have someone in your corner when I am no longer around to do so myself."

"You're going to be around for a long time Mito-obasan, don't say things like that!" Kushina said fiercely.

"These last few years, I've begun to feel my age more than ever, my sweet children." Mito said gently, a warm smile on her face. "My time will come just as surely as anyone else's. I am just happy to have had the chance to live such a long and fulfilling life. Enough of such morbid topics, now. You two have seals to practice!"

\- Line Break -

"You're not a girl." Shikaku said bluntly as he plopped into an empty seat next to Kaito and stared at him with his normal half-lidded gaze while Kaito just continued to read a book on basic fuinjutsu theory.

"Oh?" Kaito's voice sounded as bland and uninterested as he could make it when he responded as he idly flipped to the next page of his book.

"You attend the kunoichi lessons and you have delicate features that are typically seen in girls. Your two best friends are girls. Your clothes are gender neutral as is your voice." Shikaku said with a drawl, ticking each example off on one hand as he listed them. "All of that but you're a boy."

"You're telling me things I already know and it's really not as interesting as you probably think it is hearing you do so." Kaito said with a quiet sigh, his eyes never wavering from the words that made up the passage he was reading.

"I understand why people assume you are a girl." Shikaku said after a drawn out moment of silence, reaching out a hand to stop Kaito from turning the page again and getting an annoyed huff in response. "What I don't get is why you just let them continue thinking that."

"I'm sorry." Kaito said, his eyes narrowing as his head tilted to one side in faux-curiosity. "Was there a question in there somewhere?"

"Why don't you correct people when they assume you are a girl?"

"It's not my job to correct anyone that makes an assumption that isn't right and it doesn't bother me." Kaito said with a roll of his eyes before kicking the chair Shikaku was sitting on, making him lift his hand in order to catch his balance so the chair didn't tip over and himself along with it. Kaito stood up, dragging the fuinjutsu book off of his desk and closing it with a snap before heading toward the door. "I don't see why anyone should be treated differently because of what's between their legs, Nara-san. Maybe you should consider adopting the same mindset."

A/N:

I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.

I due claim ownership of my OC, Kaito Hamasaki, as well as his entire clan. I also own this story and give no one permission to post it anywhere else or to write inside my 'Kaito-verse' without asking and receiving explicit consent to do just that.

Here it is, ladies, gentleman, and others - chapter two of _The Last Hamasaki_! This gives you more of an idea of Kaito's goals and his mindset, I think, and demonstrates his commitment to Kushina and Mito as his last 'family members'.

While I could've made Kaito a little more angsty after losing his whole village, I always think about how resilient young kids are and I tried to show that he is focusing his grief into training to be strong so he can protect the people he's come to consider precious in his life. Any thoughts?

Playlist

Slang Blade - Binary Star feat Sinam (Shikaku and Kaito sparring)


	3. May We Meet Again

Chapter Three: May We Meet Again

_Mito-obasan gave me a purpose in my life when I had little to nothing left to live for. She helped me channel my grief into fuel for achieving goals, goals that she guided me toward choosing. Without her intervention, I'm not sure how my life would have turned out or who I would be. She was the match that sparked my Will of Fire and she tended to those first wisps of flame as carefully as a doctor might tend to an infected wound. She's been the inspiration behind Kushina and I both doing so much in our lives - I can only hope to have the same impact on at least one other person before my life is over as she did mine. That would be enough for me, I'm sure of it. _

_Excerpt from The Last Hamasaki, _

_Written by Hamasaki Kaito. _

"You've got it this time, Kushina-chan." Kaito encouraged from where he was sitting in the corner of the classroom, which was empty aside from himself, Kushina, and Mikoto.

Kaito watched with a frown as Kushina tried to form a bunshin for the eighteenth time since Mikoto had started their weekly practice sessions after school. It wasn't the fact that Kushina was struggling that made him frown, it was that she had gotten infinitely worse since last week. Kushina had missed a few days of class last week after getting sick but Kaito had thought she had bounced back from that. Mikoto had told her it was the first time she had ever heard of Kushina being sick.

"Maybe we should take a break. Are you feeling alright?" Mikoto asked, obviously thinking along the same lines as Kaito had been.

"No! I can do this." Kushina set her jaw and stubbornly formed the signs, a puff of smoke and a deformed bunshin the only reward for her effort.

"Kushina, I don't know that you'll ever have the control for this. At least not in time for the graduation exam." Mikoto said as delicately as possible, casting Kaito a pleading expression when Kushina slumped over in defeat. "I'm sorry but I just think you should talk to Saito-sensei about other options! We were making progress but it's like you completely regressed ever since coming back from being sick."

"I can teach you the water clone technique." Kaito offered

"Water isn't my affinity, it would probably take too long." Kushina sulked

"We'll find someone to teach you how to do an Earth clone then." Kaito said with more confidence than he felt. He'd have to ask Mito-obasan or Saito-sensei if they knew anyone that could teach her.

"I think that's a great-"

The door opening cut Mikoto off mid-sentence and all three of us looked at where Saito-sensei stood in the doorway with a grim expression. "Mikoto-chan, I need to escort Kaito-kun and Kushina-chan to their home. They'll have to see you tomorrow."

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Mikoto nodded and slipped her bag over one shoulder, telling her two friends that she'll find them tomorrow before slipping out of the classroom. Kaito couldn't take his eyes off of Saito-sensei. The expression on his face was a mixture of pity, sadness, concern, empathy, and regret. It was the same look the medic-nin had given Kaito before telling him Uzushio had been completely destroyed. "It's Mito-obasan, isn't it?"

"She doesn't have long. We have to hurry." Saito-sensei ushered the two students out of the class and all the way to the Senju compound. A medic-nin met them at the door and brought them to Mito's bedroom, sliding open the door and shutting it back once they went inside.

"My darling Kushina-chan and my dashing Kaito-kun." Mito said softly, her voice weak and unsteady but still carrying across the room. "Come here darlings."

Kaito and Kushina approached the bed cautiously until they reached the mattress, which they clambered onto without hesitation before throwing their arms around Mito. Kushina was already sniffling, burying her head in Mito's shoulder.

"There there now." Mito said soothingly as she rubbed a hand in gentle circles against both of their backs. "It's simply my time. You can be angry and sad or even confused. No matter what anyone tells you, you have a right to feel whatever it is you feel and never be sorry for feeling a certain way."

"It's just not fair." Kushina sobbed, her shoulders heaving.

"I feel like I just found you and now it's time to say goodbye." Kaito whispered as he gripped the comforter tightly and twisted it. "There's so much I haven't asked you. There's so much we still need to learn."

"You two are going to be just fine." Mito said firmly without a trace of doubt in her wizened features. "Kushina, I'm sorry if you hate me for my choice but I need you to know that I made it because I believe it's what is best for you."

"What are you talking about Mito-obasan? What choice?" Kushina looked up from Mito's shoulder and stared at her face questioningly. "I could never hate you."

"I have to tell Kaito about the burden you bear because I want him to promise me something." Mito said with her eyes focused entirely on Kaito as she spoke, ignoring Kushina's weak protest. "I was the first Jinchuriki, as you know, and have had the nine tails sealed inside me for decades. Kushina was brought to Konoha to become the new Jinchuriki and last week, the Nine-tailed fox was sealed inside her before my condition worsened."

"It is a terrible burden but one that must be bared." Mito continued, pausing for a moment as she became wracked with coughs. She took a long drink from the glass of water Kushina carefully handed her before talking again. "I want you to promise to be there for her. She is your family and she is not the fox. Kushina will have to watch her back her entire life because there are people that will try to use her or unseal the nine-tails from inside her."

"She'll have me watching her back, Mito-obasan. I will help her bear this burden as much as I can. I swear." Kaito promised, his arms squeezing tighter around Mito.

"Watch out for one another. Remember you're never as alone as you might sometimes feel as long as you have each other." Mito reached over to open the drawer to her bedside table, letting out a low groan of pain as she did so before sitting back with two scrolls in her hand.

She handed each of them a scroll, which had their names written on the outside in Mito's perfect handwriting. "These are storage scrolls. Inside, you'll find letters with advice I've writtens or comments for you to read whenever you reach a milestone of your lives. Some even have tips or useful techniques as well."

\- Line Break -

Shikaku was wearing all black and standing in silence next to his similarly clad father, just two more bodies in the crowd that had gathered for Uzumaki Mito's funeral ceremony. His father had told him earlier that they had to attend due to their statuses as Head and Heir of the Nara Clan. It answered the unspoken question that had been running through his head ever since he noticed Kaito and Kushina uncharacteristically absent from class yesterday.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from either of his fellow students. The normally rambunctious Kushina was oddly subdued and her dark haired adopted cousin Kaito looked abnormally absent, as if disconnected from the current going ons around him.

They stood tall together, presenting a united front from where they were positioned on one side of the frame containing Mito's picture inside that depicted the older Uzumaki woman proudly looking toward the camera, seemingly looking out at the silently grieving crowd of Konoha-nin.

"In peace may you leave the shore, In love may you find the next." Kushina's voice carried clearly, forcefully, across the quiet clearing the village had chosen to host Mito's memorial service at. Shikaku felt goosebumps spring up on his arms as he heard the poem solemnly delivered by the redhead, her voice breaking slightly as she spoke with tears dropping off her jaw. "Safe passage on your travels, until your final journey out to sea."

"May we meet again." Kushina and Kaito said together, the other mourners quietly repeating the words a moment after.

Kaito stepped up and pulled an ornate lute off of his back and began plucking the strings as he addressed the crowd. "My clan always sang this to honor our dead. Mito-obasan was family and we thought she would want me to sing it for her."

Shikaku wasn't sure if the song had any lyrics or if it was just sounds he made using his voice. It was not just a strange, foreign sounding song but also completely heartbreaking to hear. It started with a quick, chanting rhythm of syllables that Kaito made using his throat but quickly started to sound pleading, like when someone begs for something they are told not to be true. It changed again, the new change bringing to mind the keening of a wounded animal. Shikaku felt his chest tighten as he watched Kaito put his soul on display as he sang for Uzumaki Mito.

It wasn't long before everyone present lined up to put a single flower in front of Mito's picture sitting on top of the stone altar, a stick of musky incense slowly burning on each side of the frame. Shikaku laid the flower in his hand down next to all the others before moving away to make room for the next person. He froze for a second when he saw Kaito and Kushina standing a few feet away, talking in low tones to Uchiha Mikoto, and had an urge to make sure they were as okay as they can be. Shikaku stared into deep blue eyes for only a second before his Tou-san lightly tugged at his arm, leading him through the crowd and away from his classmates.

\- Line Break -

"Both of you are predicted to graduate the Academy come spring, which is why I've chosen to grant your request for emancipation." The Sandaime inhaled smoke from his pipe, expelling it as he continued speaking. "You will have my wife, Biwako checking in on you periodically for an indefinite amount of time."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Kaito bowed, Kushina doing the same a half second later, before they both walked out of the somber environment of the office.

"Mikoto!" Kushina tackled our friend, wrapping her arms around the female Uchiha in a tight embrace. "We get to stay at the compound, -ttebane!"

"That's wonderful, Kushina-chan " Mikoto said with a gentle smile. "Do you two want to train for a couple of hours?"

"That sounds great, Mikoto-chan." Kaito said

The three academy students made their way to the training grounds set aside for students to practice in afterschool, which had one of the Chunin teachers always monitoring them in case of an injury. Kushina groaning the entire way there about how she wouldn't graduate because she couldn't perform the bunshin. Kaito and Kushina were both forcing themselves to go through their normal schedule in the wake of Mito-obasans death because it's what she would've wanted.

Kaito got into his starting taijutsu stance and went through a kata with slow, deliberate movements while Kushina and Mikoto started working again. After Mito had passed, Kushina confided in Kaito about how much worse her already bad chakra control had gotten.

Kaito had been trying to think of a solution, even going as far as to unsuccessfully teach Kushina the water clone jutsu, but had come up with nothing so far. If they didn't figure it out soon, Kaito would have to convince Kushina to speak with the Hokage about it.

"Hey."

Kaito turned around to see Shikaku, slouched and with both hands stuffed into his pockets. "Hey."

"I didn't get to tell you at the funeral but sorry about Uzumaki-san." Shikaku said, shifting somewhat awkwardly but trying to look nonchalant.

"Thank you." Kaito nodded, unsure of what else to say.

"Ah, I know you were close. If you need anything I can help with.." Shikaku shrugged.

"I appreciate your concern but-" Kaito stopped talking for a moment as he glanced over to where Mikoto was encouraging a frustrated Kushina. "Actually, there is one thing."

Shikaku rose an eyebrow, surprised but waiting to hear what he could do.

"You wouldn't happen to have any Doton users in your clan, would you?" Kaito asked with a smile, tilting his head toward Kushina.

"Troublesome." Shikaku groaned, slouching a little more where he stood.

A/N:

Alright! Chapter Three! So the chapters will get longer and will be continuous instead of broken up like these first three have been - I'm kind of just highlighting important events at this point.

Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for all the follows/favorites/reviews. It's been a much better response than I thought this story would receive.

Playlist

Kettering - The Antlers (Kushina and Kaito walking into Mito's bedroom)

Rooting For You - London Grammar (Mito comforting Kushina and Kaito)

Tuvan Throat Singing (Kaito's song at Mito's funeral)

Review Response:

**Pigs103:** I hope you know you now I now have a very fond spot for you, my amazing first reviewer. It helps that I also have a fond spot for all that is Nara. Intelligent is the new sexy.

**BlueMapple: **Thank you! I always wanted to know about the enigma that is Uzushio and who lived there other than Uzumaki's. As for the gender-stereotype and Kunoichi classes - it reminds me of Home Economics class in America. The pretense is to ready you for the 'adult' world but it's basically training for house wives. At least that's how it's viewed. I think the skills learned in Kunoichi classes would be useful but gender stereotyping is just unnecessary. Chakra levels the playing field between men and women in the Naruto-verse - so why the subtle sexism? That's something that WILL be explored.

**Uchiha Arashi: **I think that depends on your individual perspective - weird to some is normal to others. Thank you for reviewing :)


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